Technical documentation

Ongoing project for additional technical documentation: the local mirror of Kevin Thackers' archive at http://www.cpctech.org.uk.

BASIC / Firmware / CP/M

• Locomotive BASIC (reference for BASIC commands, functions and error messages)
• Technical information about Locomotive BASIC (encoding of BASIC programs in memory)
• BIOS Functions (firmware routine summary)
• Soft968 Firmware Specification (the official Amstrad firmware documentation)

DIY Hardware Projects

Can now be found under DIY & Repair

Built-in connectors: pinout

• 2nd disc drive (CPC664, CPC6128, CPC6128+)
• Analogue joystick (CPC Plus only)
• Aux socket (CPC Plus only) (Lightgun)
• Cartridge Slot (CPC Plus only)
• Cassette recorder
• Digital joystick
• Expansion port
• Monitor
• Printer port
• Stereo sound

Emulator file format specifications

• CDT - tape image file format
• CPR - CPC Plus cartridge file format
• DSC - disk image file format (hardly used anymore)
• DSK - disk image file format
• SNA - snapshot file format

Hardware extensions

• M4-Wifi
• CPC Booster
• SYMBiFACE II
• Peripherals (includes tech info, as far as known)

Internal Components

• Default I/O Port Summary - map of built-in I/O ports of the CPC
• 765 FDC - Floppy Disc Controller
• 8255 - PIO - I/O controller
• Arnold V Specs Revised - Arnold V (CPC+) Technical Specification
• AY-3-8912 - Sound chip / keyboard controller
• Cassette data information - Information about the cassette storage system
• CRTC - Video chip
• Gate Array - Custom chip (frequency generation, colors, bank switching)
• PAL16L8 - Controls RAM bank switching (see Gate Array for programming details)
• Power Supply for CPC and CPC plus
• Printer Port
• Mainboard Versions

Service Manuals

• Service Manuals

Protections

• 8k Speedlock
• Alkatraz
• Speedlock
• Lenslok

Specifications

• List of file formats
• SGX (SymbOS graphic files)
• VID (SymbOS video files)
• List of Emulator IDs
• Class definitions of CPCs.

Weblinks

• https://acpc.me/#ACME/DOCS_TECHNIQUES